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Hey brutalbangers,
welcome to this new journey to the Italian extreme metal with a new episode of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss". This new episode is very various since it ranges from the ultra-melodic death metal to the ultra-pure black metal as taught by the '90s, featuring also two bands from my city, Rome.
4 bands, 4 different styles to conceive the extreme metal = only good music!
Black Therapy (FB page)...this band has grown up a lot since their very first demo published in the now far 2010 whose I reviewed many years ago. So, it's a pleasure that Black Therapy are back on these putrid pages, but it's a pleasure also because one of their guitarists, Andrea Mataloni, was a member of a short-lived thrash metal band called Eathrow in which I was the singer, even though for a very little time. Well, I am here to talk about the Black Therapy's third album, "Echoes of Dying Memories" that, edited by the Swedish label Black Lion Records, was published in the same day of its release party: 9th March 2019, when Black Therapy played at Traffic Live Club in Rome, along with other Roman bands such as Lahmia and Ars Onirica.
Lovers of melodic death metal, join Black Therapy! In fact, "Echoes of Dying Memories" see 8 tracks where there is a ultra-melodic death metal full of mid-tempos, melancholic riffs, and a very good interaction between the guitars, in a style reminding me a lot of Moonshade. It isn't exactly my favorite sound, as you know, but the general result is effective. The album has been promoted also by the videoclip made for the song "Dreaming", while the band have recently participated in the first Black Lion compilation named "Afterlife in Darkness", that can be listened in its entirety through the label's BandCamp.
Now it's the turn of a veteran band that was founded in 1992 that is at its fourth album: S.R.L. (FB page). I need to say that they have into their line-up the bassplayer Jerico Biagiotti, whom I thank again because, some months ago, announced, through his radio program MetalWave On-Air, the release of my ebook about the first wave of black metal "Nel Segno del Marchio Nero". So, talking about "Hic Sunt Leones" is mandatory on these pages!
Released this year by the Italian label Rockshots Records, "Hic Sunt Leones" has, at first, the special feature to be entirely sang in Italian, a thing still rare enough for a death metal band from my country. Secondly, they play a death/thrash metal able to be aggressive, dark or melodic, in according to the different situations. And thirdly, I appreciated a lot the vocal department, that's mainly composed of incredibly frightful screams suitable for a more extreme metal band, and, plus, they are sometimes accompanied by very deep growls. Even though they comes from Terni, Umbria, their last show was held few months ago in Rome at Fucksia. Shame, this young and promising live music club (in which I saw the mighty Swiss deathsters Nihilo) closed recently, and now its owners are searching for another place fit to re-open Fucksia.
Of Hierophant (FB page), I remember a gloomy live gig that was held at Traffic Live Club. At the end of that gig, I got a photo made with them. So, I liked a lot when the Italian promotion agency Anubi Press sent me this last EP by Hierophant: "Spawned Abortions", that's a good appetizer for their new releases to come.
Edited in 2018 by the US label Unholy Anarchy Rec, "Spawned Abortions" see 2 tracks for the misery of only 6 minutes. Of the two tracks, only one is new while the other is a cover of "Realm of Chaos" of Bolt Thrower, a strong influence in the Hierophant's DNA. The stuff is very poor but all we know how much good are Hierophant, so we can't complain so much about this short EP. This because the titletrack is a nice example of their mephitic black/death metal but, compared to their usual tracks, the doom elements are just hinted here. Instead, "Realm of Chaos", as it's obvious for a band of this kind, is really stick to the original. All in all, "Spawned Abortions" isn' t a fundamental EP neither for Hierophant's career but, at least, it shows that they are healthy!
IBLIS - ADVENIAT REGNUM TUUM"
A bit tormented is the story of Iblis (FB page), a black metal band from Rome Caput Mundi. They were founded in 2004 by the will of Iblis A.G. but, at that period, they were only a simple concept. It seems that only in 2012 Iblis morphed into a one-man musical project because their mastermind finally started to write some songs, destined to be published for their first album "Waswas" (Self-release, 2013). Then, Zeyros (also in the industrial blacksters RohesFleisch) joined Iblis in 2016 (or in 2017?) as bassplayer while C. Lee Ray became their lyricist in 2017 (or in 2018?). Now a trio, Iblis released in the late 2018 via Schattenkult Produktionen (Germany) their new album "Adveniat Regum Tuum", that is receiving plenty of good reviews...even a 10 out of 10!
But what is "Adveniat Regnum Tuum"? It is a 8-track album where there is a pure, cold and Satanic black metal in the classic Norwegian tradition. The songs, thare are all titled in Latin, see sometimes the use of clean vocals à la Attila Csihar that gives an occult aura to the entire music, like in "Mortem in Malis", a various and good track ranging from ferocius up-tempos to doom moments. Instead, other tracks are less impressive, such as the opening "Vacatio Legis", static and without really intense parts. Shame for the flat sound of the drums, and I've got the "thin" impression that there is a drum-machine behind them. So, "Adveniat Regnum Tuum" is surely a good album but without being a masterpiece as some says. And now do you know that Iblis are working on a new full-lenght album?
BLACK THERAPY - "ECHOES OF DYING MEMORIES"
Lovers of melodic death metal, join Black Therapy! In fact, "Echoes of Dying Memories" see 8 tracks where there is a ultra-melodic death metal full of mid-tempos, melancholic riffs, and a very good interaction between the guitars, in a style reminding me a lot of Moonshade. It isn't exactly my favorite sound, as you know, but the general result is effective. The album has been promoted also by the videoclip made for the song "Dreaming", while the band have recently participated in the first Black Lion compilation named "Afterlife in Darkness", that can be listened in its entirety through the label's BandCamp.
S.R.L. - "HIC SUNT LEONES"
Released this year by the Italian label Rockshots Records, "Hic Sunt Leones" has, at first, the special feature to be entirely sang in Italian, a thing still rare enough for a death metal band from my country. Secondly, they play a death/thrash metal able to be aggressive, dark or melodic, in according to the different situations. And thirdly, I appreciated a lot the vocal department, that's mainly composed of incredibly frightful screams suitable for a more extreme metal band, and, plus, they are sometimes accompanied by very deep growls. Even though they comes from Terni, Umbria, their last show was held few months ago in Rome at Fucksia. Shame, this young and promising live music club (in which I saw the mighty Swiss deathsters Nihilo) closed recently, and now its owners are searching for another place fit to re-open Fucksia.
HIEROPHANT - "SPAWNED ABORTIONS"
Edited in 2018 by the US label Unholy Anarchy Rec, "Spawned Abortions" see 2 tracks for the misery of only 6 minutes. Of the two tracks, only one is new while the other is a cover of "Realm of Chaos" of Bolt Thrower, a strong influence in the Hierophant's DNA. The stuff is very poor but all we know how much good are Hierophant, so we can't complain so much about this short EP. This because the titletrack is a nice example of their mephitic black/death metal but, compared to their usual tracks, the doom elements are just hinted here. Instead, "Realm of Chaos", as it's obvious for a band of this kind, is really stick to the original. All in all, "Spawned Abortions" isn' t a fundamental EP neither for Hierophant's career but, at least, it shows that they are healthy!IBLIS - ADVENIAT REGNUM TUUM"
But what is "Adveniat Regnum Tuum"? It is a 8-track album where there is a pure, cold and Satanic black metal in the classic Norwegian tradition. The songs, thare are all titled in Latin, see sometimes the use of clean vocals à la Attila Csihar that gives an occult aura to the entire music, like in "Mortem in Malis", a various and good track ranging from ferocius up-tempos to doom moments. Instead, other tracks are less impressive, such as the opening "Vacatio Legis", static and without really intense parts. Shame for the flat sound of the drums, and I've got the "thin" impression that there is a drum-machine behind them. So, "Adveniat Regnum Tuum" is surely a good album but without being a masterpiece as some says. And now do you know that Iblis are working on a new full-lenght album?
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